Reassuring Han Li

The setting sun glowed like blood, staining Divine Hand Valley a dusky red.

Han Li paced outside Mo Juren's room, glancing into the distance from time to time, his expression anxious.

The sunset stretched his shadow long, making his unease all the more apparent.

The wait dragged on like a century, every minute and second testing his patience.

One moment, he edged toward the window, trying to peer inside;

the next, he circled restlessly in place, his hands unconsciously clenching and unclenching.

At last, Jing Wen appeared at the entrance to the valley.

Han Li's eyes lit up. Like a drowning man clutching a lifesaving straw, he raced toward him.

Watching Han Li run himself ragged with anxiety, Jing Wen nodded inwardly-this reaction suited him perfectly.

It was only natural to lose one's composure when life and death hung in the balance. After all, people had to run headfirst into a few walls and weather a few storms before they could truly settle down.

He remembered that in the original story, Han Li's first real trial had been his step-by-step struggle against Mo Juren.

But now that he had intervened early and shielded him from this crisis, Han Li had naturally lost that chance to grow under pressure. He was far less mature than he had been at this point in the original story.

And this "immature" Han Li served his interests all the better.

"Senior, you're finally back!" Han Li rushed up to Jing Wen, his eyes brimming with barely restrained anticipation.

The corner of Jing Wen's mouth curved. "Come. Let's talk inside."

With that, he pushed open the door and entered first.

Han Li followed close behind. The moment he stepped inside, he hurried impatiently over to Mo Juren and crouched to check his condition.

Since Jing Wen had not mentioned the poisonous gas again, he felt reassured-with this senior here, surely he would not be allowed to fall into danger.

Mo Juren lay on the floor with his eyes shut, his chest rising and falling steadily and his breathing even. Clearly, he was still unconscious.

"Senior, didn't you promise me you would kill Mo Juren?" Han Li looked up, his voice urgent.

Jing Wen shook his head, his tone calm but carrying an unquestionable certainty. "I said I would make Mo Juren disappear. I never said I would kill him."

Han Li went still for a moment, his brows drawing together as he thought back-Jing Wen had indeed said that.

But what exactly did "disappear" mean?

His eyes filled with confusion.

Jing Wen glanced at his utterly bewildered expression and explained patiently, "Starting tomorrow, Mo Juren will leave this place. He will never again entertain the idea of taking possession of your body."

"Possession?" Han Li jerked his gaze up as though pricked by a needle, his fingers instinctively tightening around the hem of his clothes. The unfamiliar word struck his muddled thoughts like a thunderbolt.

Jing Wen raised a brow, understanding dawning on him-it seemed Han Li still did not know Mo Juren's true purpose at this point.

His lips curved into an ambiguous smile. "Want to know what possession is?"

Han Li nodded almost immediately, his jaw taut and even his breathing growing quieter.

"Possession means scattering the original owner's soul and forcibly seizing their body to inhabit." Jing Wen's voice deepened, every word landing hard enough to make Han Li's heart tremble.

Han Li's pupils abruptly contracted. Shock spread across his face, and a chill swept over his back.

He suddenly recalled Mo Juren's unusual displays of concern. Even his voice trembled slightly. "Doctor Mo... his goal was to possess me?"

Meeting his startled, doubtful, and urgent gaze, Jing Wen slowly nodded. Then he changed tack, softening his tone. "Mo Juren will never appear before you again, much less harbor any intention of harming you.

"Are you satisfied with that outcome?"

Han Li pressed his lips together without answering, his fingertips digging into his palms-how could he be satisfied?

Only seeing Mo Juren dead with his own eyes would put him completely at ease.

That lingering resentment lodged in his throat, emerging as a murmur as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "But what we agreed on was..."

Having anticipated his reaction, Jing Wen interrupted without haste. "Do you know what I went out to do just now?"

Han Li looked up, curiosity overcoming his dissatisfaction. "What?"

"Mo Juren is merely a mortal, nothing to fear." Jing Wen's expression darkened, his tone growing more grave.

"I went to hunt down the cultivator residing within him."

Han Li abruptly leaned forward, the chair legs scraping softly against the floor. His voice was full of urgency. "D-did you succeed?"

"Naturally." Jing Wen flicked a finger, sending a wisp of force toward the table. The oil lamp's wick ignited with a crackle, its warm yellow light illuminating the significance in his eyes.

"If that cultivator had escaped, you would have been the first to suffer."

He paused, then added as he watched Han Li's face turn deathly pale, "In truth, the one who wanted your life was that cultivator.

"Mo Juren... was merely a puppet under his control."

Han Li swallowed hard twice. Fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, and the clothes across his back were already damp.

Seeing that his warning had achieved its purpose, Jing Wen quietly withdrew the faint pressure surrounding him. With a show of generosity, he waved his hand and spoke casually. "How about this? The eighty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills for the cultivator remain unchanged. As for Mo Juren and the Black Armored Man..."

He deliberately paused, his gaze resting on Han Li's suddenly tense face. "I'll charge only half price for each."

"Forty bottles becomes twenty?" Han Li's eyes abruptly brightened. His fingers swiftly counted inside his sleeves, and his breathing quickened.

"Then that makes a hundred and twenty bottles altogether?" He swallowed, his eyes shining brilliantly as he thought, With the Little Green Bottle's efficiency at maturing medicinal herbs, I should be able to gather them all in about a year and a half!

Jing Wen nodded nonchalantly, tapping the edge of the table with a finger. His voice was calm but rang with certainty. "Exactly one hundred and twenty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills."

He lowered his eyes to glance at Han Li's barely suppressed excitement, making his own calculations. He was currently at the qi refining fourth layer; these hundred and twenty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills should more or less suffice to reach the qi refining thirteenth layer.

More importantly, he could not use pills to force his cultivation upward too quickly. Otherwise, his sudden leap in cultivation would invite unnecessary suspicion when he returned to the Black Fiend Cult, creating even greater trouble.

Besides, the Black Fiend Cult had plenty of missions. Exchanging mission rewards for Blood Pills would not be difficult when the time came, so there was no need to stockpile large quantities of Yellow Dragon Pills in the first place.

Furthermore, Han Li knew very little about the Cultivation World. There would be countless things they could trade in the future.

"Senior..." Han Li's joy gradually subsided, and his brows furrowed again. In the end, he still could not put his mind at ease.

"How can you guarantee... that Doctor Mo won't trouble me again?"

"Hmm?" Jing Wen raised a brow. A cold gleam flashed through his narrowed eyes, and the chill that suddenly radiated from him made Han Li's back stiffen.

"I absolutely don't doubt you, Senior!" Han Li hurriedly corrected himself, his words coming faster. "It's just..."

Jing Wen withdrew his imposing aura and said evenly, "You should know the foundation of Mo Juren's influence.

"I've healed his old injuries. From now on, he will work for me in Lan Prefecture."

These words were half true and half false. They provided a reasonable explanation for Mo Juren's "disappearance" while subtly suggesting that he was already under Jing Wen's control and could never return to the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Sure enough, Han Li let out a long breath upon hearing this, his tense shoulders relaxing completely.

As he understood it, Mo Juren had targeted him only to heal his injuries and prolong his life. Now that those injuries were healed, and the cultivator who wanted to possess him was dead, Mo Juren naturally had no reason to keep watching him.

The oil lamp's wick crackled, blossoming into a golden flare, and light and shadow flickered across Jing Wen's face.

He suddenly rose, his sleeves stirring a faint breeze. His tone went from grave to warm, carrying unquestionable certainty. "Remember, your safety now concerns my hundred and twenty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills."

He paused, deliberately slowing his words and adding a rare trace of warmth. "No one gets to touch someone under my protection."

Those words were like a glowing coal, making Han Li's heart tremble with their heat.

He swallowed hard, his nose stinging-for the first time in his life, someone had explicitly said they would protect him.

Han Li hurriedly lowered his head, his black hair hiding the reddened corners of his eyes, afraid to let Jing Wen see him lose his composure.

Jing Wen flicked a finger, and a small celadon bottle shot through the air, tracing a lustrous white arc.

Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Han Li hastily reached up to catch it. The cool porcelain pressed against his palm, yet warmed his heart.

"Mo Juren poisoned you, didn't he? This is the antidote." Jing Wen's voice returned to its usual calm.

Han Li gripped the porcelain bottle tightly, his knuckles whitening with the effort.

He had not expected Jing Wen to know about this as well, much less offer him the antidote of his own accord.

A trace of warmth suddenly welled up in his heart-this senior seemed far more humane than Doctor Mo.

Watching the emotion flicker through the boy's eyes, Jing Wen felt quietly satisfied.

Binding someone through shared interests was far more reliable than controlling them with poison. After all, Han Li's little life was now worth a hundred and twenty bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills.

"As agreed, Mo Juren's stock of medicinal herbs and his herb garden belong to you." Jing Wen looked at Han Li, then shifted the conversation, deliberately pausing to create a hint of pressure.

"Starting next month, deliver five bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills every month. Any problems?"

The warmth that had just risen in Han Li's heart instantly cooled by half.

He clenched his fists inside his sleeves and forced himself to nod, his voice tightening. "The herb garden... has plenty of medicinal herbs in reserve. It sh-should be fine."

As he said this, his gaze involuntarily swept toward his chest-the Little Green Bottle hidden there was his only source of confidence in making that promise.

Jing Wen took in both the panic in his eyes and his strained composure. His lips curved into an ambiguous smile, but he did not expose him. "Just concentrate on refining pills. Once all hundred and twenty bottles have been delivered..."

He drew out his words, his voice laced with temptation. "I can teach you immortal arts."

"Immortal arts!" Han Li abruptly looked up, his eyes blazing as the image of Jing Wen burning something with a flick of his finger flashed into his mind.

Compared with the mundane martial arts Li Feiyu had taught him, this was true power!

Watching Han Li's fighting spirit flare to life, Jing Wen chuckled inwardly.

With the carrot of cultivation dangling before him, there was no fear that Han Li would neglect his work.

"Go." Jing Wen swept his sleeve and turned, his gray-white hair brushing past the tall window, catching flecks of sunset gold.

"Bring the first batch of pills in three days."

Han Li bowed in agreement. As he left the room, the hand holding the antidote bottle still trembled slightly-half from the excitement of escaping Mo Juren's threat, half from his yearning for immortal arts.

Outside the courtyard, the last ray of sunlight vanished behind the mountains, and twilight gradually enveloped all of Divine Hand Valley.

Inside, Jing Wen walked over to the unconscious Mo Juren, a speck of blood-red light gathering at his fingertip.